Lost to Darkness, Rescued in Light
by Tiro
Summary: What if it hadn't been Legolas to fall down the stairs in Moria? What if it had been Aragorn? Will Legolas survive the apparent loss of his closest friend? A different take on Lost in Darkness, Rescued in Light in a second chapter.
1. Chapter 1

**Lost to Darkness, Rescued in Light **

**Summary**: Instead of making it through with the others, Legolas falls down with the stairs in Moria. Aragorn knew his elf friend was stubborn, but he was about to know just HOW stubborn the teasing prissy elf could be.

**Pairing/s**: None.

**Warnings**: None.

**Disclaimers**: I don't own LotR.

Alright, I'm walking on grounds I've never been on before. Never written this kind of fic before, so hopefully LotR-fans will not kill me if I write something wrong.

-

Boromir grabbed Merry and Pippin and jumped to the other side. He made it despite his two companions clinging to him and turned around. Now there was only Aragorn, Sam, Frodo and Legolas left on the other side of the stairs. The shaking continued, and the cracks in the stone stairs got louder. Aragorn quickly lifted Sam and Boromir held his arms out, ready to catch the hobbit. The others watched anxiously.

Aragorn then readied himself with Frodo and looked at the elf. He motioned for his human friend to jump. The Ranger looked worriedly at him but the blonde elf smiled and repeated the gesture, silently saying he should go with the Ring-bearer. Aragorn jumped and Boromir and Gimli helped them as Frodo nearly lost his balance and fell backwards.. The Ranger then turned around, meeting bright blue eyes.

"Come on, Legolas!" Aragorn shouted over the noise.

The Sindar readied himself but suddenly looked down as a large crack was heard. Then, in front of his eight companions, the stairs he was standing on disappeared beneath his feet and Legolas fell. He heard the Ranger shout his name, desperately and he looked up into wide, terrified grey eyes. Then his body hit a stone and he was flung violently aside with a shout of pain.

Aragorn could only watch in horror as his life-long friend tumbled into darkness. His limbs felt numb and it felt like he could not move. Gandalf pulled on his arm, dragged him up and forced his body to move, to come with them. The Ranger moved automatically but all he could see was his friend's blue eyes, wide in surprise and fear.

His friend, the Prince of Mirkwood, was gone.

-

Legolas had no idea what was up or what was down. Sometimes he swallowed water and he would then move so he could spit the water out and hopefully gain some sort of order in his sluggish and beated mind. He had no idea where he was, or where this river was leading. He had already encountered two falls, and heard a third closing in. He had no desire falling down once more and tried to grab something with his scraped hands, to latch onto something but the walls were slippery and his hands and body was so cold. The river was moving too fast, approaching the fall too fast. Thankfully, the elf lost consciousness before his body reached the fall.

-

Aragorn felt like there was no use in continuing. In the matter of a half hour, he had lost not only one, but two friends. Gandalf had followed Legolas into the darkness of Moria. He felt tears burn behind his eyes, but refused to let them fall.

He looked over the others. Boromir was holding the almost hysterical dwarf back, trying to stay calm himself. Pippin was in tears while Merry was holding him. Frodo had sunk on his knees and Sam was sitting with him. He wanted to succumb to his tears as well, but fully knew Gandalf trusted him with this. He had put the leadership onto the Ranger's shoulders.

"We cannot stop," he said and they looked up at him. "Lothlórien is not far from here; we need to go there as quickly as we can."

"Lothlórien?" Gimli asked. "Why there?"

"Orcs does not go in there," Aragorn said. "Not where I was planning we should go. And there I can send a message… about Legolas."

"To whom?" Boromir asked.

"To his father," the man said.

"Can't that wait?" Frodo asked. "Let him live with the belief his son is alive for a little longer."

"I would love to, but that is impossible," Aragorn said, looking towards the forest in the distance. "That is the sad part."

"Why?" Gimli asked.

"A king must know if his heir to the throne is dead."

"What?" the hobbits asked. Boromir and Gimli stared at him.

"Legolas was a Prince," Aragorn said bitterly, looking away from the beautiful scene. He could not stand it. "The only heir to Thranduil, the Elven king in Mirkwood. I promised I would protect Legolas, and I failed."

He began to move down hill, and soon the others followed him.

-

"There is something in the water!"

The clear voice echoed amongst the trees and elves looked up. One elf pointed into the water.

"What is it?" Haldir, the leader of the group, called out. "An Orc?"

"No!" the elf continued. "It… it's an elf!"

Haldir hurried so he could see who it was. If it was one of his men… no, it could not be. They were all there.

He peered into the river and his eyes opened wide. He could recognize that elf anywhere. He quickly scrambled down to the shore, and into the water. He grabbed the elf and heaved the body up on his shoulder. The light-blonde hair hid the face from view now, and Haldir dearly hoped he was still alive.

He came to the shore and put the smaller elf down gently, stroking the wet hair away to get a better look. The Sindar's face was paler than usual and his body was covered in cuts and bruises. The Silvan elf was startled when clear blue eyes snapped open. He could not help but smile.

-

Gimli was more than reluctant to walk into the forest, but then seemed to remember Legolas had walked into a place where dwarves ruled and promptly did not complain anymore. The hobbits stayed close to each other and the two humans and the dwarf moved around the four to protect them.

Suddenly Aragorn spotted an elf and held out his arm so everyone would stop. He frowned as the elf stepped out in the open; normally they sneaked up on you. He knew that better than anyone else in his group; he had been frightened to death more than once by playful elves.

He recognized the elf as one of the guards of Lothlórien he had met long ago, Haldir. He and Legolas had been just in time to see the guard elf off, since it was a short visit to Elrond from Galadriel. The mere memory brought despair to his heart. Said guard elf smiled a bit and said:

"Come. We have been waiting."

Here they all stared at him. He gave out a laugh, similar to Legolas' clear one and said:

"The Lady of Light shall explain it all to you. Come."

-

They moved through Caras Galadhon, following Haldir's unhurried pace. The hobbits, particular Sam, could not help but admire the trees, the buildings and most of all, the elves. They were dressed in silvery colours accompanying wooden ones. The elves' curiosity made even Gimli relax slightly. Some of the elves followed, not even trying to hide their interest as they eyed the hobbits and whispered among themselves. They spoke with Haldir sometimes, rapidly and not even Frodo could understand them.

They came to a stairwell and the elves all moved back as Haldir began walking up. The Fellowship followed. Aragorn felt the guilt was eating him up, and he wondered how he was supposed to give message to Thranduil that his only remaining son was now dead. He himself had yet to accept it. His heart sunk lower and lower for each step. If Legolas had been here with them, he would have admired Lothlórien just as the others, with the Sindar next to him, excited and wanting to explore immediately. For being a Prince, Legolas acted more like a small Elfling than a son to a king. His laughter was enough to lighten even the darkest corners of Aragorn's mind, and the mischief in those blue eyes made the Ranger laugh himself. The teasing smile was never far away from the Sindar elf, and now Aragorn was nearly choking back sobs when he thought he would never see it again.

He would never hear that laughter again, never seeing that smile… he would never be able to go to Mirkwood without feeling sick to his stomach.

Their arrival startled him from his depressing thoughts and he looked up. In front of them stood a tall female elf with stunning blonde hair and shining white clothing. Galadriel, Lady of Light. She walked up to them slowly and looked at them all in turn.

"You are seven," she finally said in Westron. "You were nine in the beginning."

"We lost two of our companions to the shadows of Moria," Aragorn said and bowed his head. "Gandalf the Grey and Legolas of Mirkwood."

Galadriel watched the Ranger carefully. She then looked upon each of them and said:

"You must all be tired. Haldir, please let our guests rest. But please… Estel, walk with me."

Everyone looked confused and practically gaped when Aragorn stepped up and let the fair elf lead him away.

-

She looked behind her shoulder until she was certain the others were gone. Then she turned to Aragorn and said:

"Tell me; have you learned anything about a stubbornness of an elf?"

"More than enough," he replied.

"How about a certain elf's stubbornness?"

"Certain one?"

"He was a mere Elfling when I first lay my eyes upon him," Galadriel said. "Shining blonde hair like his father and clever blue eyes. He charmed anyone he wanted."

The Ranger's heart clenched painfully. She could only describe one person.

"Why are you telling me this?" he said and looked away.

She caught his chin and turned his head back to her. A smile was playing on her lips.

"Have you lost faith in Greenleaf's stubbornness that easily?" she asked.

"No one, not even Legolas, could have survived that fall."

"I would have believed you, if not for the proof we have."

"What?"

She led him instead of speaking. They came to a tent of a sort, and Aragorn could see only one bed inside. There laid one person there on the bed, and a… a very familiar bow was sitting on the chair nearby along with two familiar knives. His heart began pumping faster and faster.

"It cannot be…" he whispered.

"It was Haldir who found him," she said gently as she stepped inside the tent. "He was floating down the river that goes under Moria before reaching this forest. How he survived all the falls and heavy currents will be a mystery until he tells us. He was only awake long enough to tell us about you coming to us."

"He did not know that," the human said breathlessly as he slowly stepped closer to the bed.

"But he made a guess," she replied. "He has heavy bruising but he will be fine in a day or two."

Aragorn carefully cupped Legolas' face in his hands. The elf's eyes were closed, a sign that he was not under a normal sleep and he was tucked in between warm blankets. He had been cleaned up but the human could see he had heavy bruises and Legolas' left temple had a angry bruise that stood out violently against his pale skin.

"I wanted you to first see him," she said. "I will have a message sent to your companions of his status."

Aragorn nodded absently, sitting down on the bed with Legolas' face still in his hands. He never noticed Galadriel leaving with a smile on her face.

-

Legolas felt something warm on both of his cheeks. In fact, his cold body felt warm and sluggishly content now. He took a deeper breath and slowly came out from his dimmed sleep. The first thing his eyes met was a pair of grey ones. He blinked and saw none other than Aragorn.

"Legolas?" the human said softly and the Sindar could at first only look at him like he had never seen a more beautiful sight. The Ranger looked worse for wear; his hair was dirty as usual, his eyes had shadows within them and his lower lip was trembling every so faintly.

"Estel," came his whispered reply a few moments later.

"Your stubbornness will never, ever cease to amaze me you pointy ears!" the Ranger whispered, a grin breaking out. Unshed tears made his eyes shine.

"As if you are to talk, smelly human," he whispered back, coughing weakly.

"Do not speak," the future king said, rubbing the elf's chest. "You… I thought you were dead."

"Will not get rid of me that easily," the Sindar said with a teasing smile, his eyes twinkling with happiness. He got out a hand from the blankets and tugged at the dirtied hair, wrinkling his nose playfully. The Ranger glared at him warningly.

It was then they heard running. Merry and Pippin were the first ones to come through the tent. They stopped in shock, making Sam and Frodo run into them. The four hobbits fell down and made the two friends laugh even if Legolas' laugh was slightly out of breath. The moment after, Boromir and Gimli came through.

The sight that met them was more than satisfying. Legolas maybe was paler than usual, and he had a split lip and bruises but the usual cheerfulness was resting around him like always. The Ranger had lost the helpless glint in his eyes as he laughed, his hand still on the Sindar's chest while said elf still held a piece of the human's hair stubbornly.

All was well, even if it was just for a moment.

End

* * *

Wow… end. Yay. Hoped you liked it.

Until another time,

Ja,

Tiro


	2. Take two

**Lost in Darkness, Rescued in Light take two**

What if it hadn't been Legolas to fall down the stairs in Moria? What if it had been Aragorn? Will Legolas survive the apparent loss of his closest friend? A different take on Lost in Darkness, Rescued in Light.

-

Legolas was the first to jump over the gap in the stairs. His ever graceful movements were shown in the jump. He swirled around even before both of his feet touched the stairs and he motioned for them to jump as well.

Gandalf jumped first, Legolas steadying him with a hand. The elf turned to look at Aragorn who was the furthest away. Most of the playfulness that usually shone in Legolas' eyes had disappeared but now it brightened briefly. Taunting the human a bit, _let's see if you can jump better Estel_, and Aragorn scowled at the Sindar in mock-anger. Then Boromir grabbed onto Merry and Pippin and jumped.

The Ranger almost broke into laughter as Gimli jumped and Legolas grabbed onto the dwarf's beard. Hilarious sight and he could see the Sindar thought the same.

As he heard the stone starting to crack underneath him, all amusement was lost and panic settled in.

"Estel!"

His childhood name made him snap his head towards Legolas. The elf was wide-eyed; he had heard the cracks as well and wanted his friend and Frodo over to the safer side.

"Legolas!" Aragorn shouted. "Catch him!"

The Ranger lifted Frodo and threw him just like he had done with Sam. The Sindar caught the Hobbit just as the stone gave away underneath Aragorn.

"Estel!"

The human had no chance to get a grip on the stairs; instead he fell. He managed to lock eyes with his old friend for a moment before he was lost in the darkness.

-

Legolas felt himself being ripped up from the stones by a frantic Gandalf who forced him to move. His chest was clenching with pain, pain he had never felt before. It was intense, and he could hardly breathe as the wizard dragged him along. There was no longer any grace in his movements, and his face was carefully blank as they moved along.

Inside, he was screaming.

-

Aragorn gasped as he finally got up over the surface of the cold water. The stream was fast, too fast to let him get a grip on the walls. He had no idea what it looked like due to the lack of light. Everything was silent except from the noises of the water.

His heart was in his throat and he felt the growing senses of panic. He had no idea if he was going to live through this. He had heard stories about the tunnels beneath Moria, tunnels that transported water. They twisted worse than a snake, and had more falls than one could believe. Or so the legends told.

He could only hope it was not true. Because if it was true, he would surely loose his life.

-

Legolas stared over the landscape, having sunken down on his knees as they finally had fled Moria. However, his heart was anything but in peace.

Gandalf had fallen along with a Balrog into the depths of Moria, not even fifteen minutes since Aragorn had fallen. Was this a cruel joke Valar drew upon him? If it was, Legolas would rather like waking up from this nightmare he now found himself in.

All the others were lost. They all glanced at him, expecting him to be the leader… even Gimli had. Legolas was used to the role but now… all he wished to do was to weep. Did they not understand that he had lost two close friends?

He looked back at the others. They were silent, grief-stricken as well. They huddled together, waiting to be taken care of. The Sindar felt a rare streak of anger dwell up inside his slowly breaking heart. _Save yourself mortals! _His treacherous thoughts caught him by surprise and he forcefully reminded himself that Aragorn was also a mortal. He of all elves should not bear such hatred against mortal.

Legolas rose up and took a deep breath. The wind caught up and was all around him. He took relief in it, treasured it as he prepared to move on… for a little while at the very least. He turned to face his new duties, and dearly hoped it would not last for long.

-

"Haldir!"

The cry of his name made the elf snap his head up, and Haldir looked at the one who had called.

"What is it?" he called back.

"There is a body in the river!"

Eyes widening, Haldir leapt to his feet. Could it be one his men? No, they were all here. As he ran towards the river he called out:

"An elf?"

"No, from what I can see it is a human!"

A human, in Lothlórien? It was practically unheard of. Nonetheless, Haldir sprinted between the trees and with a graceful swing was down on the shore.

The body was travelling fast in the stream but Haldir was well ahead and quickly got out in the river. He held onto the dripping branches of the trees and one of his warriors threw a rope to him. He shifted from holding the branches to the rope. He caught the body with his other hand and hauled it closer. On a closer inspection, his eyes widened. It had been years since he last saw this one, but he knew this face.

The son of lost kings. Hope. _Estel_.

-

Legolas looked around the forest, hearing Gimli's muttering but had no heart to ask him to be quiet. Every beat of his immortal heart sent agony through his body and his limbs grew weaker for each minute. He would be able to lead them to Caras Galadhon, hopefully, before death would claim him. Loosing Aragorn, his closest friend, was too much. Far too much than what he could handle. Not after having known the human for so long:

_Legolas loved Rivendell. The place had a calming aura around it, making him calm unlike the darkness of Mirkwood._

_His father had sent him to Elrond in hopes of bringing his only son's spirits up. Legolas had not have heart to protest, as he knew his happiness brought happiness to Thranduil. His father only felt happy if he knew his son was content. _

"_Legolas!"_

_Elrond welcomed the fair-haired elf with open arms, enveloping the much younger elf in a tight hug. Legolas breathed in the elf-lord's scent and smiled. _

"_Lord Elrond," he greeted. "I see I was desired here."_

_Elrond laughed heartily and said:_

"_Was I that obvious? Yes, I have waited to see you for far too long. But I also have a problem."_

"_A problem?" Legolas asked as one of Glorfindel's men came to lead his horse to the stables. He thanked the elf before turning back to Elrond._

"_Elrohir and Elladan are out hunting, and will not return for many more days," the older elf said as they walked towards the Last Homely House. "That leads me to be baby-sitting my youngest child, Estel, and I must admit it is much harder than I expected."_

"_Estel?"_

"_A human child I have taken under my wings," Elrond said. "Erestor and Glorfindel has helped me greatly but they also have work to do, as have I. I wonder if you might be able to entertain him."_

"_If I may meet him," Legolas said. He had nothing against children, and this one sounded young._

"_I shall lead the way then."_

_-_

_Legolas looked around the familiar corridors, feeling at peace. Coming to Rivendell was a good choice. The evil of Mirkwood seemed very distant all of a sudden._

"_Ada!"_

_The young voice broke him from his thoughts. He looked up and a smile broke out despite him trying to stop it._

_A small child, dressed only in a pair of leggings and looking no older than four, was running towards Elrond as quickly as his little legs could carry him. Poor Glorfindel chased after him. _

"_Estel!" the elf-lord said and lifted the child up before Estel could crash into his legs. "Are you quite alright, Glorfindel?"_

"_I swear that child has elf-hearing!" the Balrog-slayer complained. "Suddenly when I am dressing him he shoots up with a happy cry and runs out. He must have heard your voice."_

"_Did you now, little one?"_

_Estel giggled as Elrond tickled his tummy. _

"_Thank you Glorfindel," the elf-lord said. "We will finish the dressing. You may go."_

"_Joy," the elf muttered. "I have a meeting with Erestor."_

"_He is not going to bite you," Elrond reminded. _

"_He has the ability to make me feel like a fool," Glorfindel complained. "Where did you find him?"_

_Elrond only laughed and Glorfindel went to search after the advisor. The elf-lord turned his attention to Estel and said:_

"_Ion nin, I have someone here I wish for you to meet."_

_Estel perked up and finally looked at Legolas. _

"_This is a friend of mine," Elrond said, "Legolas Greenleaf. Legolas, meet my son Estel."_

_Legolas smiled and said:_

"_An honour to make your acquaintance, Estel."_

"_Um… same here," the human child said softly._

"_How about we finish dressing you up and then you two get to know each other a bit better?"_

-

Aragorn had been adorable as a child, and Legolas wasted no time to remind the man of the fact. Usually he would have a screaming Ranger after himself when he said so but the Sindar elf had only laughed and run faster.

The mere thought of never being able to do that made Legolas stop and grab onto a tree. His heart beat painfully, making him bend over and try to force deep breaths in.

"Legolas?" Boromir said, worried.

The elf had his eyes close, one hand clenching into his tunic. The other one was gripping the tree. They all looked at him worriedly. After a few moments he straightened up and said:

"I'm fine. Just… tired. Let us continue."

"We can rest," the human said.

"No," Legolas said. "We are soon close enough to Caras Galadhon to have troops around us. It's better to rest where we know we will be safe. Let us go."

They could not complain about it, since they heard on his voice he knew what he was talking about. Legolas himself feared if they stopped for a rest before reaching the Elven kingdom he would not rise up from the ground again.

-

All but Legolas was startled when an elf emerged before them a few hours later. The Sindar looked at him and bowed his head while resting a hand on his chest in greeting.

"_Mae Govannen_, Haldir," he spoke softly.

Haldir repeated the gesture, looking worriedly at the elf. Legolas was pale, and looked shaken. With a start he realized why.

"Legolas?" he called out in alarm as the elf before him swayed dangerously.

The blonde-haired elf did not hear; instead he let his eyes close and he fell forward.

-

The Fellowship shouted out in distress but before Legolas' body could connect with the earthen ground, Haldir had caught him.

"Quickly tell me this," the Lothlórien guard said. "Was Aragorn, son of Arathorn with you?"

"Yes," Boromir said. "He… he fell in Moria."

Haldir's eyes widened. He quickly scooped Legolas up and shouted out something in Elvish. Immediately they were surrounded by elves.

"They will take you to Caras Galadhon," he spoke. "I myself must rush."

"What's happening to Legolas?" the dwarf wanted to know, as wanted the rest.

"If a close person to an elf dies or goes lost, the elf can loose their will to live and will die of grief," Haldir said. "Aragorn and Legolas have known each other for a long time I have been told. Legolas is giving up, and I must hurry to save him."

"How?" Frodo said. "There is no way you can save a person who wishes for death."

"I cannot save him," Haldir said. "But I know someone who can. The very same person Legolas is dying for."

They all gasped.

"Is Aragorn alive?" Boromir said, his eyes widening.

Haldir had no time to answer; instead he bolted away.

-

Aragorn was aware that his body was very sore. He was not really aware where he was; only that it was warm and comfortable.

A hand shook him awake, and he groaned in displeasure.

"Wake up, Aragorn," a voice said. "Please, you must wake up."

Grudgingly the man did so. He looked up at Haldir and suddenly all remains of sleep were lost. The fair elf looked haunted, and afraid.

"Haldir? What is it?" the human asked.

"You must save your friend," the elf said. "We cannot help him in his despair."

"What do you mean?"

He needed no answer as Haldir moved aside. His eyes widened.

Legolas was white, his chest barely rising and his midnight blue eyes closed. Aragorn had never seen an elf die of grief, but he had heard stories. It was the most painful way a living creature could walk to death. He was up from the bed before Haldir could protest and stumbled over to Legolas' bed.

"The rest of your friends will arrive shortly," Haldir said. "I will take them to speak to our lord and lady before bringing them here."

"_Hannon le_."

The elf left the two alone. Aragorn slowly lay down next to Legolas and said:

"'Las?"

There was no response beyond a twitch of Legolas' hand. The Ranger took one of the slim hands and pressed it to his chest.

"'Las, wake up for me," he whispered against the elf's temple. "It is I, 'Las, and I am fine. Feel my heart, _mellon-nin._ It is just underneath your hand, therefore I am fine. So you must wake up now, for me."

Legolas gave out a weak groan and feebly pushed his forehead against Aragorn. The Ranger simply worked an arm underneath Legolas' head and, mindful of his injuries of course, pulled the elf flush to his chest.

Legolas' eyes snapped open and his head slowly moved so he could look at Aragorn. They stared at each other for long minutes until the elf said:

"Is this a dream, or am I already dead?"

"Neither," the Ranger said and stroke away the blonde hair from the elf's face. "Call me miracle, but I ended up in a river taking me the entire way to Lothlórien where I was fished up by Haldir. I am fine but you look worse for wear."

"I thought you were dead," Legolas whispered. "And then Gandalf joined you…"

"What?"

"The Balrog took Gandalf with him to the depths of Moria," the elf cried out. "My heart died. Please, Estel…"

His whole frame wracked with sobs and Aragorn quickly pulled him close again, embracing him.

"I am fine, 'Las," the Ranger whispered. "You must also become fine, or else I will not have strength to carry on."

Legolas clung onto him, sobbing in relief into the man's tunic. The Ranger held him closer, whispering soft and comforting words and stroking the blonde hair. It was rare that he comforted the fair elf; normally it had been the other way around:

"_Sshh, little one. No need to let those tears fall. Dry them up."_

_Estel calmed his sobbing as he listened to Legolas' melodic voice. He was better than Elrond to calm the eight-year old down and took enjoyment of being able to chase away the darkness from Estel's dreams._

_The human child sniffed a bit and buried his head into Legolas' chest. The chest rumbled with laughter and the Sindar lay down onto the bed and drew the covers up around them._

"_I shall stay here until you feel like sleeping again," Legolas declared, already knowing Estel wanted it but rarely admitted it. It was easier if the elf decided to simply do it. _

_-_

_Aragorn angrily wiped at his tears as the traces of the nightmare was pushed from his thoughts. He was well over forty years, so why was he weeping? Why did a nightmare upset him so?_

"_Aragorn?"_

_The melodic voice calmed him down instantly and he whipped his head up to stare at Legolas. The elf was dressed in a night-robe, hair slightly out of place which showed the Sindar had been asleep._

"_Legolas? Did I wake you up, mellon-nin?"_

"_The moonlight shone into my face, so I woke up to draw the curtains shut" Legolas said. "I heard your trashing around. Are you alright?"_

_They were in Rivendell, Legolas being there on his father's request and Aragorn because he was home-sick and Elrond had missed him. Aragorn now looked deep into the midnight eyes and said with a smile:_

"_I am, now when you are here."_

-

Finally the elf's tears slowed down and instead he rested comfortably against Aragorn's chest. The man looked at his friend and saw the skin was already recovering, regaining its normal shining colour. He sent a silent thank to the Valar before kissing Legolas' forehead gently.

"Rest now," he whispered to the elf. "I will be here when you wake up."

Legolas looked up at the human, trying to protest when his eyes slid close in exhaustion. Aragorn chuckled and said:

"See? Even your eyes know better than yourself. Sleep now."

Legolas mumbled a reply, too quiet to be heard and then he slept.

-

As the rest of the Fellowship rushed up the stairs, Aragorn watched Legolas. The elf had run himself to the ground with grief but he was going to make it. Aragorn would make sure of it… when he himself had recovered of course. His sore body began to protest and he lay down to rest some more as well.

The sight that met the Fellowship made them all sag in relief. Aragorn and Legolas lay sleeping in the bed, both of them wearing smiles on their faces. For the moment, all was well, and that was all they wished for.

End

* * *

I think it was someone who gave the suggestion of doing it the other way around, Aragorn falling and how Legolas would take it. Here you have it. Legolas very emotional in this one, but elves are vulnerable to grief… or at least Leggy is in this one-shot^^

Until another time,

Ja,

Tiro


End file.
